The Vermillion Technology Center is a major piece of Eagle Creek's growth strategy. In March, the company announced that it will bring 1,000 jobs to South Dakota over the next 3-5 years. That kind of rapid growth is possible due to partnerships with the South Dakota university system, state of South Dakota, and local communities, like Vermillion.

"South Dakota is a great place to do business," said Ken Behrendt, president of Eagle Creek. "With a business friendly environment, I believe South Dakota can compete with technology professionals anywhere in the world. Partnerships with the state, city of Vermillion and University of South Dakota help Eagle Creek to continue to compete globally by offering the high quality our customers expect as well as the scalability they require."

The Vermillion Technology Center, to be constructed by the VCDC, will house IT consultants working on a number of mainstream technologies for clients around the world. Projects will include, among others, Customer Relationship Management, Business Intelligence, Big Data and Mobile Application Development.

"Bringing Eagle Creek to Vermillion is a pivotal step for the future," said Steve Howe, executive director of the VCDC. "We are excited to break ground on the new site and welcome a valued partner, along with hundreds of high paying jobs. Eagle Creek represents the kind of growth and company we hope to attract to Vermillion."

To fill the Vermillion Technology Center, Eagle Creek hopes, in part, to employ graduates from Vermillion's own University of South Dakota. Through a partnership between USD and Eagle Creek, the newly launched IT Consultant Academy is currently training the next generation of IT workers with a world class education.

"The IT Consultant Academy furthers our mission to prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow," said James W. Abbott, president of the University of South Dakota. "By partnering with Eagle Creek to develop the IT Consultant Academy, the University is able to customize an education in mainstream technologies that allows our graduates to easily find a high paying, in-demand job in Vermillion or anywhere in the world."

The Vermillion Technology Center is expected to open in May 2014. Currently Eagle Creek has 20 employees operating out of the business incubator located in the Beacom School of Business on the campus of the University of South Dakota.

ABOUT EAGLE CREEKWith over 300 consultants, Eagle Creek Software Services is the largest U.S. based onshore software services company. The 14-year-old Minneapolis-based consulting company has focused on improving efficiency and quality, while managing price and risk, for its Fortune 2000 clients. This means investing in America, where Eagle Creek has become a leader in rural IT sourcing with technology centers already established in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. For more information on Eagle Creek visit, http://www.eaglecrk.com/